The 2026 rotavirus season is ongoing, with a sharp increase in cases in Pretoria and one death reported.
Vuyo Sabani, spokesperson for the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (Nicd), urges parents to have their children vaccinated against rotavirus and to continue breastfeeding. Oral rehydration solution can be given to children with diarrhoea. Rotavirus is a common cause of diarrhoea in young children and is transmitted via the faecal-oral route.
The season typically runs from July to August, but can extend into September. According to Prof. Nicola Page, head of the Centre for Enteric Diseases at Nicd, symptoms often begin suddenly with vomiting, followed by watery diarrhoea. Fever, loss of appetite and lethargy can also occur.
Parents should watch for signs of dehydration, such as a dry mouth, no tears, sunken eyes, fewer wet nappies, lethargy or reluctance to drink. Severe dehydration, which can cause rapid breathing or heart palpitations, dark urine and excessive drowsiness, is a medical emergency. Children showing signs of severe dehydration should be taken immediately to the nearest clinic or health facility.
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This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
